Flush tank for water closets



pil my i938- l I A. J. SMITH 2,114,820

FLUSH TANK FOR WATER CLOSETS Filed Feb. 26, 1937 ENTOR.

Patented Apr. 19, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE FLUSH TANK FOR WATER CLOSETS Albert J. Smith, Mineola, N. Y.

Application February 26, 1937, Serial No. 127,833

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in ush tanks for water closets.

lt is desirable that flush tanks of water-closets be positioned behind and just above the closet bowl. These flush tanks are, in the plumbing trade, usually called low-down tanks to distinguish the same from the overhead flush tanks or boxes. The tendency in the trade for some years has been to position such tanks as close to the bowl as permissible and more recently manufacturers of plumbing equipment have introduced flush tanks in one piece with the closet bowl. These are called one-piece bowl and tank combinations, The authorities of many communities, however, refuse to permit the use of low-down flush tanks unless the bottom of the tank is a considerable distance above the rim of the bowl, four inches above such rim being the usual requirement. Such requirements are made for sanitary reasons and principally to prevent or avoid pollution of the supply water which is also used for drinking and cooking. For example, when a plunger is used to free a stopped closet bowl, contaminated water from the bowl is likely 2-5 to be forced thro-ugh the connections into the flush tank; also, it is known that back-siphonage may occur in the water-supply pipes due to various causes and this will cause the contaminated water in the flush tank to be sucked. into the water supply. Up to the present time it has been impossible to completely prevent the formation of partial vacuum in such supply pipes, no matter what piping systems or devices are installed. In order to solve the problem of making water-closet fixtures and the like safe and to eliminate, as far as possible, drinking-water pollution hazards, it has been proposed to utilize a separate water supply system fed by its own overhead tank for every water-closet or unsafe fixture. Such a system would, of course, be highly expensive and for that reason is impractical. Valves and similar mechanical devices in the supply systems have been suggested but they are objectional and have been rejected by authorities. because the useful life thereof is relatively short compared wth the useful life of the fixture and also it has been found impossible to eliminate the hazards due to back-siphonage with such devices, particularly when the same are used in connection with the one-piece combination fixtures hereinabove referred to.

One of the objects of this invention is to produce plumbing fixtures, such as water closets, that are in turn connected to sewage pipes, which will be safe and to eliminate hazards to the drinking and cooking water supply from backsiphonage or partial vacuum in such supplywater systems, and to this end I provide simple and inexpensive means` in the flush tank or reservoir or water-storage tank that is connected with such plumbing fixture which will completely isolate the supply-water from the fixture-flushing water and to make it possible to utilize lowdown flush tanks and even to employ the onepiece combination tank and closet, without danger of contamination of the supply water.

Another object of my invention is to produce the aforesaid result by the use of an element which is non-mechanical, which will not get out of order, and will normally have a useful life as long as the tank itself.

Another object of my invention is to provide in a flush tank or plumbing-fixture reservoir, a supply-water isolating element which is integral with the tank so as to be irremovable therefrom and which is preferably so formed that the destruction or removal of such element will destroy the utility of the flush tank itself.

An important feature of my invention is the employment of a flush tank having plural or dual compartments, entirely separated from each other, the use of one of such compartments as a supply-water compartment surrounding or containing water-supply or rell pipes and wateradmitting valve-mechanism therefor and having a given constant water-level preferably adapted to provide a water seal for such supply pipes, and the use of the other compartment as a flushingwater compartment having a water-level changeable by flushing mechanism and at its highest or normal level being lower than the water-level in the water-supply compartment above mentioned, said ushing compartment being preferably provided with a float for operating the valve mechanism in the supply compartment to cause an overflow of the water in said compartment and to supply a new body of fresh flushing water in the ushing compartment for water employed in flushing a plumbing fixture, such as a water closet.

Another feature in my invention is to provide, in the iiushing-water compartment of a dualcompartment tank, a primary overiiow means or pipe combined with a secondary overflow means, comprising a hollow conduit having an inlet aperture above the water level of the primary overflow means, and said secondary overflow means is preferably formed by making the dividing partition hollow to provide a conduit open at its lower Aend and providing said hollow partition above the Water level of the primary overflow means and below the constant Water level of the water supply compartment with a water inlet adapted to serve as a secondary overflow means. The use of a conduit with an open lower end is adapted to discharge any water passing therethrough on the floor of the bath room or other place in which the fixture is located and thus provide a warning to the householder in the event that the flushing Water shuld reach said secondary overflow means.

With these and other objects in View, the invention comprises the combination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to co-act and co-operate with each other in the performance of the functions and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated,

and comprises in one of its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a View in vertical section of a flush tank or water-closet reservoir embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a View in plan of the flush tank shown in Fig. l with the cover removed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical fragmentary section of a compartment-dividing partition used in my flush tank, the section being taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View in plan of a modied form of flush tank embodying my invention;

Fig. 5 is. a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, I is a flush tank which may be of conventional size and may comprise part of a complete plumbing xture, not shown. For example, the novel features of my tank I may be used as the lowdown tank or reservoir of a water closet or may be employed in the tank or reservoir of a onepiece water-closet-and-tank fixture, (known as a one-piece combination xture) which are condemned in many communities as producing too great a hazard in regard to contamination of the drinking water. My invention avoids such hazard and will enable installation of such onepiece fixtures without danger of contamination of the water supply.

My improved flush tank preferably embodies conventional flushing mechanism, including a valved flush pipe or conduit 2 which leads to the bowl of a closet, not shown, and mechanism for operating said valved pipe to cause flushing water to be passed thereto to ush said fixture. Said mechanism preferably comprises a ball Hush-valve 3 having a vertical valve stem or lift wire 3', connected by a vertical rod or link 4 pivoted to a rocker arm 4 mounted on an operating shaft 5 adapted to be turned by an operating handle '6, and a conventional float-operated mechanism for controlling the water-supply means and also preferably includes a conventional supply pipe 8 with a rell spout 9, said supply pipe and spout being automatically controlled by a valve Ill operatively connected by pivoted lever II, link II to said float-actuated mechanism which comprises a oat rod I2 having at its opposite end, a ball float I3 adapted, by the level of the iiushing water in the tank, to control the water-supply from pipe 8 and spout 9. I also preferably employ a conventional overflow tube 'I which, when unplugged, is large enough to carry away the entire supply passing through the supply valve and spout.

In accordance with my invention I divide tlrx tank I into plural or dual compartments I4 and I5 which are entirely separated and independent from each other so far as the water contained in the tank is concerned. The tank I is preferably so divided by a cross-partition I6 extending from one side wall I to the opposite side wall IfL of the tank I so as to provide a relatively small supply-water compartment I4 and a relatively large flushing-water compartment I5. The partition I6 is so arranged as to enclose and completely isolate the water supplying means or mechanism and particularly the refill spout or tube from the flushing-water compartment I5. Said watersupply compartment I 4 will be initially completely lled before any water can reach the flushingwater compartment to provide a level therein which will close the controlling valve of the supply pipe and spout. Therefore, the compartment I4 will have a constant water level I 4 and will serve as an independent reservoir or body of water within the tank I for supplying water to the flushing-water compartment I5. The al'oresaid constant water level I4 extends above the downwardly projecting outlet end of the refill spout 9 of the pipe 8, thus sealing the water-supply inlet, avoiding 1noise and splashing of the in-rushing water from the inlet, and eliminating the necessity of a hush tube such as conventionally employed in connection with the refill mechanism of water-closet flush tanks. The water level of compartment I5 will be variable because by operation of the operating mechanism the water therein will be used as ush water of the closet but the highest level I5 of such water will be well below the top I5 of the partition I6 which controls the height of the constant water level in compartment I4 and forms a dam over which supply-water in said compartment I 4 is adapted to spill-upon the operation of the float-actuated valve mechanism when additional water is needed in the ushing-water compartment I 5 to bring the same up to a predetermined level. The level of water in said supply compartment I4, will still be constant because only overflow water will pass over the partition.

In accordance with the preferred form of my invention, a water level I5 is maintained in compartment I5 by the float-actuated valvemechanism which closes off the supply to the compartment I4 to prevent further water above the said level I5 being initially fed to the said independent reservoir I4 and then to be spilled over the top I6' of the partition or dam IE into compartment I5.

In accordance with said preferred form of my invention, I also provide, in the flushing-water compartment, a primary overflow means Comprising the pipe 'I and I position the top I of this pipe at a level 1a, and I combine with such primary overow means, a secondary overow means formed by making the partition I 6 hollow so as to form a conduit Ia therein, and then providing at the upper end of said partition, above the primary overflow level 'Ia and below the constant level I4 of the water-supply cornpartment I4, an aperture Ib leading to said conduit IGR. I thus form a secondary wateroverflow level IGC between said primary overow level and said constant water supply level.

The conduit I5 within the partition I6 is preferably open at its lower end Id so that any water nally reaching the said conduit through the aperture I6b will be spilled on the floor of the compartment in which the plumbing xture is located, thus providing a denite warning to the householder that the tank requires attention. The passing of the water through the conduit I6a will, of course, very seldom happen, but it is desirable to utilize such a device as a secondary means for preventing the raising of the level of the flushing water to that of the supply water.

'Ihe making of the partition IE hollow and open at its lower end also serves another function viz., the preventing of the removal of the said partition without complete destruction of the tank itself, thus insuring, in a tank of this kind, the safeguards of the supply water provided by the use of said partition.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a modified form of my invention in which a compartment-dividing partition Il is disposed diagonally in the flush tank to enable reduction of the size of the supplywater compartment I4 .and the increasing of the size of the flushing-water compartment l5. Inthis modified form of my invention, the supplywater compartment may be made of minimum size and the flushing-water compartment of maX- imum size so that the latter may contain the quantity of water required or specified by authorities as necessary or desirable for flushing purposes. Also, in this modified form, I provide, instead of a single conduit, of Figs. 1 and 2, a series of pipe-like conduits I8' each having .an overflow aperture E8 communicating with the flushingwater compartment l5.

It will be seen frompthe above that I have provided for water closets or the like plumbing fixtures which are connected to sewage pipes, a tank or reservoir which will be safe and which will eliminate the hazards to the drinking or cooking water supply by back-siphonage and the drawing thereby of contaminated water from a water closet or like fixture into such drinking water supply, because in my tank the supply compartment I 4, being entirely separated and isolated from the iiushing-water compartment l5, any

back-siphonage applied through the pipe 8 will only suck water from the compartment I l and as this water is completely isolated from the flushing water, it will be uncontaminated by any connection with the water closet. Obviously, water cannot, by back-siphonage, be sucked out of the flushing-water compartment and water in this ushing-water compartment may itself be contaminated without in any way contaminating the water supply, and such safeguarding is true notwithstanding the fact that the flushing water in conventional low-down tanks for water closets, is often contaminated by the plunging of the closet when the same is stopped up, when as frequently happens during a stoppage of a closet, the water will fill the bowl above the outlet of the flushing tank. A plunging of the closet then will cause the upward passage through the pipe 2 of such contaminated water which will raise the valve 3 and enter the flushing compartment.

It will, furthermore be understood that in the use of the highly desirable one-piece combination tank and bowl xture, the hazard of contamination is greatly increased because in such a fixture if the bowl of `closet is stopped up, the contaminated water will be more likely to flow back into the tank with or without plunging, because in such one-piece combinations, the bottom of the tank is positioned well below the top of the bowl.

It will be furthermore understood that the device produced by me is non-mechanical, will not get out of order and will have a useful life as long as the tank itself; also that the watersupply isolating element is integral with the tank and irremovable therefrom and is so' formed that any attempted removal or destruction of the element will destroy the utility of the tank itself.

I-Iaving described my invention, I claim:

1. A flush tank or reservoir for water-closets embodying, in combination, a tank provided with an internal partition member dividing said tank into dual isolated compartments, one of which comprises a flushing-water compartment having a valve-controlled outlet and valve-actuating mechanism for supplying flushing water there-- through, and another of which comprises an inlet-water compartment provided with a Valvecontrolled water-inlet and mechanism for supplying water through sai-d inlet, said dividing member separating the said water-supply inlet and valve-mechanism from said outlet and valvemechanism therefor, said partition member beingmade of the same material composing said tank, and formed integrally with said tank, an'd said integral partition having an interior portion partly hollow and open through the bottom of the tank to prevent destruction or removal of said partition without destroying the tank.

2. A flush tank or reservoir for water-closets embodying, in combination, a tank provided with an internal partition member dividing said tank into dual isolated compartments, one of which comprises a flushing-water compartment having a valve-controlled outlet and valve-actuating mechanism for supplying flushing water therethrough, and another of which comprises an inletwater compartment provided with a valve-controlled water-inlet and mechanism for supplying water through said inlet, said dividing member separating the said water-supply inlet and valvemechanism from said outlet and valve-mechanism therefor, said partition member being made of the same material comprising said tank, and formed integrally with said tank, and said integral partition having an interior portion partly hollow and open through the bottom of the tank to prevent destruction or removal of said partition without destroying the tank, said partition being provided near the top thereof with an aperture communicating between said partly hollow interior and the outer surface at the flushing-water compartment side thereof whereby a warning is provided when the water level in the iiushing water compartment reaches said opening.

3. A flush tank or reservoir for water-closets embodying, in combination, a tank provided with an internal partition member dividing said tank into dual isolated compartments, one of which comprises a ushing-water compartment having a valve-controlled flushing-water outlet and mechanism for supplying iiushing water therethrough and providing in said tank a given water level, and another of which comprises an inlet-water compartment having therein a valve-controlled water-inlet and mechanism for supplying water through said inlet, said partition member being imperforate below said given water level so that said t'wo compartments will be entirely unconnected below the water level of said iiushing-water compartment, whereby the water in said water-supply compartment and said water-supply inlet and valvemechanism therein are completely separated and isolated from the water in the flushing-water compartment and said flushing-water outlet and valve-mechanism therefor.

4. A flush tank or reservoir for water-closets embodying, in combination, a tank provided with contained an internal partition member dividing said tank into dual isolated compartments, one of which comprises a flushing-water compartment having a valve-controlled flushing-water outlet and mechanism for supplying flushing water therethrough and providing in said tank a given water level, and another of which comprises an inletwater compartment having contained therein a valve-controlled water-inlet and mechanism for supplying water through said inlet, said partition member being imperforate below said given water level so that said two compartments will be entirely unconnected below the Water level of said flushing-water compartment, said supplywater compartment having a constant water level extending above and sealing the supplywater inlet and said flushing-water compartment having its highest level below said constant level of the water-supply compartment.

5. A flush tank or reservoir for water-closets embodying, in' combination, a tank provided with ari internal partition member dividing said tank into dual isolated compartments, one of which comprises a ushing-water compartment having a valve-controlled flushing-water outlet and mechanism for supplying flushing water therethrough and providing in said tank a given water level, and another of which comprises an inlet-Water compartment having contained therein a valve-controlled water-inlet and mechanism for supplying water through said inlet, said partition member being imperforate below said given water level so that said two compartments Will be entirely unconnected below the Water level of said flushing-Water compartment, said supply-water compartment having a constant water level extending above and sealing the supply-water inlet and said flushing-water compartment having its highest level below said constant level of the water-supply compartment, a primary overiiow means in said flushing-water compartment, and secondary overflow means located at a level between the highest level of the flushing water in the flushing compartment and the constant water level of the supply compartment.

6. A flush tank or reservoir for water-closets embodying, in combination, a tank provided with an internal partition member dividing said tank into dual isolated compartments, one of which comprises a flushing-water compartment having a valve-controlled flushing-water outlet and mechanism for supplying flushing water therethrough and providing in said tank a given Water level, and another of which comprises an inlet-water compartment having contained therein a valve-controlled water-inlet and mechanism for supplying water through said inlet, said partition member being imperforate below said given water level so that said two compartments will be entirely unconnected below the water level of said ushing-water compartment, said partition member being made of the same material composing said tank, and formed integrally with said tank.

ALBERT J. SMITH. 

